There's a serious warning going out to people in Hernando County that are skipping jury duty.
Judges say enough is enough, and people who skipped will have a lot of explaining to do in court.
If you skipped jury duty in Hernando you better have a good excuse. It has been happening a lot lately and Circuit Judge Stephen Toner is not happy about it.
"It really is sad, and I have great concerns about how they feel about our system," he said. "This is America."
Toner said Hernando has one of the lowest turn outs around for jury duty. He had to postpone a trial back in September because so many people didn't show. He said another time 65 notices were sent out, and only 22 people showed up.
"Never seen this before," he said. "Never had a problem getting enough jurors in. It's just never been an issue but we are having a problem here."
Those who skipped jury duty in September will get a legal notice ordering them to appear in court next month to explain why they shouldn't be held in contempt. If they skip again, they could land in jail.
Pete Magrino handles murder cases as state prosecutor. He said the situation is an embarrassment and people who skip jury duty should be punished.
"I don't know what that punishment should be," he said. "That's up to a judge to decide."
"I'm hoping the word gets out there," Toner said. "Hey, we need people to come in and help our fellow citizens. This is Americans helping Americans."
Judicial leaders say this is an ongoing problem in Hernando.